IDD (itinéraire de découverte) is an interdisciplinary discovery project that helps teachers diversify learning strategies, connect disciplines, and teach students how to nurture their intellectual curiosity through research.
Ms. Emilie Lauzy, history-geography teacher, and Mr. Sory Koité, science teacher, guided their eight-grade students through the IDD process of researching and presenting topics on sustainable development in an innovative, technology driven way. Sustainable development is how we respond to our current social, economic, and environmental needs without the depletion of natural resources, endangerment of human capital, nor compromise of the ability of future generations to do the same.
Leila, Remi, & Theodora created a poster to teach their classmates about the Do’s & Don’ts of effective recycling.
During the spring semester students worked in groups of two to four to complete their research and create blogs featuring news articles, videos, and interviews and prepare their presentations. Collaboration, creativity, and time management were of the essence: “…we divided up the work and met up at the library or at someone’s house to get everything done. Everyone had to be involved in the research, planning, and organizing process, because everyone has to present to the class; you can’t hide!” explained Lea.
What exactly did students present while front and center in the Secondary library? Familiar themes like recycling, pollution, environmental protection, and affordable healthcare were on the menu. Students were tasked with the responsibility of clearly and succinctly explaining the details of their research and intricacies of their websites. They were also required to field questions from their teachers and peers.
Watching a video created by a student during IDD with teacher Sory Koité.
Cannelle and Eleanor tackled health insurance and affordable healthcare in New York City. They sifted through the words of pundits and general rhetoric on the issues to create an informative website and deliver a comprehensible and concise presentation to their classmates. They compared and contrasted healthcare access across socioeconomic levels and ethnic groups in New York City. For a better understanding of who is impacted and how, they interviewed Dr. Dinali Fernando of the Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, N. Y. about her patients and the types of care they seek.
Colin, Lara, and Julia took on pollution in New York City: air, nickel, noise, and soot to be exact. Their tumblr based website features videos and an interview with LFNY’s Director of Facilities, Terrence Kennedy.
Be sure to check out the students’ blogs and learn how you can help to sustainably develop the city we call home.
About the Author :
Janelle Charles is Director of Admissions and Enrollment. She holds an MA in French Linguistics & Pedagogy from Middlebury College. She was a Teaching Fellow in NYC public schools and was previously a French and Spanish teacher at Greenwich Country Day, then Assistant Director of Admissions. She joined the Lycée in 2021.